"Blades of the Guardians" follows in the footsteps of what could be characterised, in terms of genre, as "Chinese Westerns".
It's a similar formula to the spaghetti Western. A rough-hewn, lone wolf character, with a questionable past, who, overcoming their personal shortcomings and trauma, ends up doing the right thing by others in need.
This film's single biggest claim to fame is action. It's relentless, with wave after wave of frenetic, polished martial arts action. Given this film is set in the classic period of China's long history, this is combined with swordplay and archery to good effect. By all means watch this film just for these elements; it's an amazing watch.
Where this film falls down somewhat is in the storytelling department. The characters' motivations are married up to an impoverished back story that does leave the film feeling a little contextually empty. The space is occupied largely by exposition.
In summary, compelling martial arts action is front and centre in Blades of the Guardians. It's just a shame a little more effort had not been spent developing a rich backstory to complement it. As it stands, a 6/10 from me.